PBS Indies Shorts Launches With Independent Lens & POV Films

PBS Indies Shorts, a new collection of short films, working in partnership with its independent strand producers POV and us here at Independent Lens/Independent Television Service (ITVS), launched today. Over the coming months, the new site will showcase 26 original films commissioned for digital platforms, ranging in length from three to 20 minutes, and which were co-curated by PBS, POV, and Independent Lens to appeal to young, diverse, and social audiences. The short films are upbeat and innovative in both storyline and execution.

But meanwhile, six of the 26 short films are available today on all PBS digital platforms; the PBS mobile app; the PBS apps on Roku, AppleTV, and Xbox; YouTube; and PBS’s social media channels. And then four new films will premiere each month, beginning in April. Viewers can continue the conversation around these short films on Twitter at #PBSIndies. This presentation is made possible in part through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

“PBS is the home for independent films, and these short films from Independent Lens and POV nicely complement our year round independent film offerings on-air,” said Donald Thoms, Vice President Programming and Talent Management at PBS. “This collection of original digital shorts will introduce new audiences to the diverse and compelling content PBS offers from independent producers from across the country. In addition, this collection of short independent films will be a great run-up to the June launch of the Online Film Festival, which has become an annual event for short film fans.”

“ITVS is proud to contribute to the curation of short documentaries that showcase contemporary storytelling and help define this genre in a digital age,” said Sally Jo Fifer, President and CEO of the Independent Television Service (ITVS) and Executive Producer of Independent Lens. “The collection complements Independent Lens and POV‘s on-air format and highlights the diverse quality content we see on these award-winning PBS series.”

“Independent film is no longer just film,” said Adnaan Wasey, Executive Producer of POV Digital. “POV is excited to showcase the work of artists who are combining nonfiction media with the power of digital technology to create a new art form and engage the public.”

Home (Independent Lens/ITVS): Take a bittersweet, evocative journey through the filmmaker’s childhood home, which was flooded during Hurricane Katrina and mistakenly torn down a year later. The film is available here: http://www.pbs.org/indiefilms/shorts/home

The PBS Online Film Festival, featuring more than 25 short films, will kick off Monday, June 16 and run through Thursday, July 31. In addition to partners ITVS and POV, the Festival will include works from and collaborations with diverse public television producers including Center for Asian American Media, Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), Vision Maker Media, National Black Programming Consortium (NPBC), and Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC).

“As the demand for video content on the web continues to grow, the PBS Online Film Festival is a great example of how PBS and our partners are experimenting with new formats and platforms to reach diverse audiences,” said Eric Freeland, senior director, digital programming. “Since its launch, the PBS Online Film Festival has been a popular online event and we look forward to offering viewers captivating short films this summer.”